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Isotope marine chemistry
Deep-Sea Research, Vol. 28A, No. 6, pp. 647 to 648, 1981. Pergamon Press Ltd. 1981. Printed in Great Britain.
BOOK REVIEWS
Isotope Marine Chemistry, edited by E. D. GOLDBERG, Y. HORmE and K. SARUHASHI, Uchida Rokakuho Publishing Co., Tokyo, 512 pp. VS000. RADIONU('LIDE contamination has stimulated a great deal of research on transport and cycling of matter in the oceans. At the same time, naturally-occurring and m a n - m a d e radionuclides and stable isotopes have been a m o n g the most useful tools for probing the sea. YASUO MtVAKe, who recognized this usefulness early, has been a pioneer in the application of isotope studies in oceanography. Isotope Marine Chemistry has been published in honor of Prof Miyake's 70th birthday. Twenty-two chapters have been contributed from several countries. Chapters are, at one extreme, brief reports on a dozen or so analytical results and, at the other, extensive summaries drawn from compilations of thousands of observations. Organized in three balanced sections, Artificial Radioactivity . . . . Natural Radioactivity . . . . and Marine Geochemistry, the book covers a broad variety of" topics. Perhaps the most useful word in describing the book is diversity, for almost any attempt to generalize meets exceptions. All the chapters are written in, or translated into, English. All of the reports on artificial radioactivity are based on far-field studies: studies near the major sources at the Pacific Test Site, the Columbia River and Windscale are not addressed. Although chapters on the source areas would have enhanced the book, their absence does not detract significantly from the material that has been included. The chapters dealing with naturally-occurring radionuclides are focused primarily on the water column. The one paper on natural radioactivity of marine sediments is concerned less with the ocean environment than with the analytical procedures used. Three chapters of the book are primarily method-oriented descriptions of analytical potential: the remainder are devoted to discussion of oceanic processes. One chapter deals with transport and diffusion modeling. Another is based solely on laboratory work. Editing or review of the contributed papers appears to have been minimal and accuracy is variable from one chapter to the next. Readily identifiable errors can be found in several chapters. For example, the Hanford Atomic Plant is said (p. 34) to be sited in California (actually it is in Washington state) and Fig. 8.2 is labeled ~cm' where the depths are surely meant to be in meters. Such examples present no difficulty in themselves but the reader is left uncertain about other errors he has failed to recognize. Content of the chapters includes not only scientific reporting but also exposition of scientists' opinions. I enjoyed seeing this extension because it normally is excluded from print and only occurs at meetings or in lectures. Unwary readers could, however, fail to sense the transition from report to opinion. For this reason, the book is no primer on marine radioactivity. The National Academy of Sciences publication, "Radioactivity in the Marine Environment", is m u c h better suited to that application. Despite its minor problems, this book is certain to be of interest to students of radioisotope oceanography as well as chemical oceanographers who are interested in cycling of trace components in the sea. It is a worthy tribute to a major scientist.
Bhlg. 3504, Oak RMge National Laboratoo', Oak Rulge. TAr 37830, U.S.A.
NORMAN H. CUTSHALL*
* Work supported by the Office of Health and Environmental Research, U.S. Department of Energy, under contract W 740.%eng 26 with U n i o n Carbide Corporation. 647
BOOK REVIEWS
Isotope Marine Chemistry, edited by E. D. GOLDBERG, Y. HORmE and K. SARUHASHI, Uchida Rokakuho Publishing Co., Tokyo, 512 pp. VS000. RADIONU('LIDE contamination has stimulated a great deal of research on transport and cycling of matter in the oceans. At the same time, naturally-occurring and m a n - m a d e radionuclides and stable isotopes have been a m o n g the most useful tools for probing the sea. YASUO MtVAKe, who recognized this usefulness early, has been a pioneer in the application of isotope studies in oceanography. Isotope Marine Chemistry has been published in honor of Prof Miyake's 70th birthday. Twenty-two chapters have been contributed from several countries. Chapters are, at one extreme, brief reports on a dozen or so analytical results and, at the other, extensive summaries drawn from compilations of thousands of observations. Organized in three balanced sections, Artificial Radioactivity . . . . Natural Radioactivity . . . . and Marine Geochemistry, the book covers a broad variety of" topics. Perhaps the most useful word in describing the book is diversity, for almost any attempt to generalize meets exceptions. All the chapters are written in, or translated into, English. All of the reports on artificial radioactivity are based on far-field studies: studies near the major sources at the Pacific Test Site, the Columbia River and Windscale are not addressed. Although chapters on the source areas would have enhanced the book, their absence does not detract significantly from the material that has been included. The chapters dealing with naturally-occurring radionuclides are focused primarily on the water column. The one paper on natural radioactivity of marine sediments is concerned less with the ocean environment than with the analytical procedures used. Three chapters of the book are primarily method-oriented descriptions of analytical potential: the remainder are devoted to discussion of oceanic processes. One chapter deals with transport and diffusion modeling. Another is based solely on laboratory work. Editing or review of the contributed papers appears to have been minimal and accuracy is variable from one chapter to the next. Readily identifiable errors can be found in several chapters. For example, the Hanford Atomic Plant is said (p. 34) to be sited in California (actually it is in Washington state) and Fig. 8.2 is labeled ~cm' where the depths are surely meant to be in meters. Such examples present no difficulty in themselves but the reader is left uncertain about other errors he has failed to recognize. Content of the chapters includes not only scientific reporting but also exposition of scientists' opinions. I enjoyed seeing this extension because it normally is excluded from print and only occurs at meetings or in lectures. Unwary readers could, however, fail to sense the transition from report to opinion. For this reason, the book is no primer on marine radioactivity. The National Academy of Sciences publication, "Radioactivity in the Marine Environment", is m u c h better suited to that application. Despite its minor problems, this book is certain to be of interest to students of radioisotope oceanography as well as chemical oceanographers who are interested in cycling of trace components in the sea. It is a worthy tribute to a major scientist.
Bhlg. 3504, Oak RMge National Laboratoo', Oak Rulge. TAr 37830, U.S.A.
NORMAN H. CUTSHALL*
* Work supported by the Office of Health and Environmental Research, U.S. Department of Energy, under contract W 740.%eng 26 with U n i o n Carbide Corporation. 647